Retired Doctor 1 year anniversary

[simster]

Dear Jackson D

Thanks for your frank and honest reply. I don't have any medical colleagues of the same age who've retired yet and the earlier generation of doctors believed strongly in dying in the saddle. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment that if one was not imaginative enough to think of sometimes else to do, it would be truly pathetic. Learning a foreign language, keeping fit, travel and management of my portfolio are things that I know will occupy me. But, as you know, we docs have been always brainwashed to believe that our work should always come before anything else. Like "rkser" said, it's not easy to cut the chords to medicine completely....

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simster Dear Jackson D Thanks for your frank and honest reply. I don't have any medical colleagues of the same age who've retired yet and the earlier generation of doctors believed strongly in dying in the saddle. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment that if one was not imaginative enough to think of sometimes else to do, it would be truly pathetic. Learning a foreign language, keeping fit, travel and management of my portfolio are things that I know will occupy me. But, as you know, we docs have been always brainwashed to believe that our work should always come before anything else. Like "rkser" said, it's not easy to cut the chords to medicine completely....

Oh, I don't know. I went into medicine because back in the day when I was making my career choices, it was a socially acceptable way for a woman to become financially independent without having to resort to marriage. I never bought the Kool Aid. Just today someone asked if I missed it and I could honestly say "no".

[AllDone]

I've been out for a year and a half too. I'm waffling over renewing my license. I feel somewhat guilty, but I sure sleep a lot better. My spouse got lucky with some stock options and we wound up pulling the plug a few years earlier than originally planned. I've found plenty to do during the day, but early arthritis has started to limit my mobility, so all in all I'm glad I quit when I did.

[simster]

Thanks for all your helpful comments. Meadbh, AllDone - do you mind if I ask how many years of practice you'd put in before you decided it was enough ?

I find clinical practice OK most days, screamingly exasperating once in a while and maybe a few times a year, really rewarding.

[Meadbh]

32 years.

[Jackson D]

I was in practice 27 years and for the last few years the good parts were overcome by the hassles. It was a classic case of burnout. Cutting back to 4 days per week helped quite a bit at first but that didn't last too long. I realized how much better I felt when I was away from work so I finally got on with my new life.

[AllDone]

19 years, I did some software engineering first. I liked IT because it was very creative, but there were a lot of divas in the field (really divos) and some issues with being a girl among all the boys. Medicine was more collegial, but I was starting to burn out and working with a guy who was really burned out. The money was not substantially different. Medical school was really, really fun and 2nd and 3rd year of residency were pretty good too. Intern year sucked.

My aunt, who is only a couple of years older tham me, flies to a medically underserved area for 2-4 days at a time a few times per month and seems hapoy with that.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllDone My aunt, who is only a couple of years older tham me, flies to a medically underserved area for 2-4 days at a time a few times per month and seems hapoy with that.

I hope she's a medical professional and not some strange tourist with a sick idea of the perfect travel destination...

[urn2bfree]

Today is the six week anniversary of my exit from medicine. Out and under age 55. Obviously it is still early, but I do not miss it at all. I have no trouble finding stuff to occupy me, and I am actually amazed how a day just slips right by. I am loving the freedom. I am studying a new language, going to museums for lectures and special daytime programs, cooking more and exercising much more regularly. I look good and feel even better. Check me out in a year. For now, everything that I had hoped is true. It is awesomely good.

I will say I have discovered something completely unexpected and a bit unpleasant. My wife (by choice, not necessity) is still a physician. Now, as the non physician spouse of a doctor, I have a new understanding and appreciation of the challenges of having a doctor as a spouse. It does serve as a regular reminder of why I am so glad to not be in medicine anymore. I hope she gets jealous and quits soon.

I completely agree with those who say that there is a "kool aid" that doctors drink that gets them hooked on the recognition, or the power or the calling or whatever that frankly never really took with me. Or it wore off really fast. And +1 enthusiastically that one who cannot find ways to challenge oneself is just PATHETIC. Absolute nonsense that an intelligent person in this day and age could not find any other distraction than those provided by medicine. Bah! And good riddance. Burned out? Scorched. 3rd degree.

[darly2004]

Congratulations on the wonderful new chapter of your life. Your story is inspiring and I hope to be there soon. I am a relatively new physician, out in practice for 6 years. Although I do love my job and my patients, I do not like the daily grind and the schedule my family has to be on due to my work. I have young children and it breaks my heart that I cannot be as involved in their lives as I'd like to be now. I am hoping in a few years, before their high school years, I can pull the plug and not look back. I never really drank the Kool aid either since what we have now is sure a lot more than what my parents ever had. Hubby, who is not a physician, is planning to continue to work to support some of the "lifestyle" (this is his own choice since he likes "stuff" more than I do). When I went into medicine, I thought that I would work forever. Since having kids, my views have definitely changed. I want to spend more time with them and also be able to travel and do things with my husband before we are not able to physically. Thanks for the inspiring story and I will definitely check out your blog.

[urn2bfree]

This post was edited to remove redundant info from an earlier post in this same thread...i meant to use that info in another thread about docs retiring..still this retains the relevant i fo that is cited below...

I do feel the stress of having less money coming in--even though if my wife stopped working I think we are more than comfortable where we are with our usual spending being around 3% of our portfolio (with over two years safety in cash or CD's that combined are earning over 2% interest) and this is without touching the value of our home equity of $700,000 and my hope we will downsize and at least have lower maintenance costs even if we roll our equity into a higher priced but warmer part of the country. The other thing that amazes me is the series of unfortunate and unusual expenses that have befallen us in this first 4 months- each of us needing root canal for the first time, a broken tooth, an ER visit for stitches, frozen broken pipes, a dryer repair, leaky sink, new timing belt needed, some new tires...I am hoping to see these death by a thousand cuts expenses taper off for a while, but who knows? If my wife were not still providing it would be even more unsettling no matter how much cushion I think we have.

[longranger]

Sorry to hear of your short term unlucky streak urn2bfree. It is a sobering reminder that there are no absolute guarantees no matter how well you prepare. On the other hand same can be said about your ability to enjoy retirement if you wait another 10 years.

As yet another rapidly burning out MD in practice for 28 years contemplating ER this thread has been therapeutic for me. Although I have never been particularly fond of Kool Aid the evil elixir has affected me. It hurts that I may walk away feeling somewhat defeated by my years in practice. Hope that goes away as my time and energy are reclaimed after FIRE.

Have had 2 colleagues in my group retire in the past 3 years. Actually one of the 2 in process now. One retired at 59. At 2 years out is very happy with his decision. The other retiring now is 75. He has lived life on his own terms, had secure enough finances to retire FIRE several times over 20 years ago, says he has no regrets but has very little left in the tank to enjoy life with. It was sad watching him deal with the changes in medicine over the last 5 years. He waited at least 10 years too long. I can see in his eyes that now he is thinking "AND FOR WHAT"?. He thought that retiring at 59 was a terrible mistake for my other colleague. He has no idea that I will likely not make it to 59 before FIRE. Will not tell him until after he is long gone as it is assumed I will follow in his footsteps for at least 10 more years.

Jackson D. Congratulations. Your blog is now on my short reading list.

[EastWest Gal]

This thread is helpful to us me and other professionals, who tend to be pressured to define who we are by what we do. My medical director who was trying to get me to do more stuff said "You're a pediatrician." I never could think of myself as "a doctor." If we think of ourselves as our profession, then retirement is a tragedy, almost a defeat. I'm not there yet but it seems here we treat retirement as a victory, a liberation.


I too have been told I need to retire to something else. Like Jackson D, I'll need to unwind before the something else shows up. I can't wait!

[6miths]

Thank you for all of the posts. I am three weeks away from officially packing it in 2 days before my 53rd birthday. I have always enjoyed the patients and teaching but the admin side at the hospital is killer. Looking forward to the garden, cottage, traveling and quality time with the family.

[rkser]

Hi Doc,

I am semi retired, 57 yr old physician , in private practice 3 days a week, yearning for a full retirement one day.

How did you get Medical Insurance as a retired doc ?

Thanks and regards

[ERhoosier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by longranger ........It hurts that I may walk away feeling somewhat defeated by my years in practice........

No reason to feel that way. Actually, congrats are in order. You have devoted almost 3 decades of your life to the most noble effort of tending to the sick & injured. Thank you for your service!! I would never view a future decision to retire or change directions as a defeat.

[longranger]

Most of my feeling defeated or guilty is for not being able to influence the highest levels of the government/megacorp healthcare complex in a rational direction, as irrational as that is. In reality my negative feelings are based largely on the egotistical premise that I SHOULD be part of the good guys that slay the dragons that are making our healthcare system ill. Most of the doctors in positions of leadership I have worked with have a pretty good idea what needs to change in healthcare, are not hostile to realities of the business world. Unfortunately the government and megacorp interests that reap huge financial gain from the systems current structure have an odd mixture of ignorance to the effects of what they are doing and criminal disregard for the negatives they can understand. That may sound overly dramatic but I think you would here the same opinion from most individuals who are patient advocates and have been asked to function as the token MD on boards, in think tanks etc... You can lead the horses to water but..........................

[Meadbh]

Longranger, it's very frustrating to know what needs to be done but to be powerless to implement it. Healthcare is highly politicized and there are multiple agendas and power structures that are much bigger than individuals, even leaders in healthcare. That's not to say that leading and facilitating improvement is not possible; indeed it is, within one's scope of practice and influence, and that is very satisfying. But there comes a time when it's OK to step off the treadmill and forget about saving the world. You've earned it.

[ERhoosier]

Agree with Meadbh, but no reason stepping away from day-to-day clinical medicine requires forgetting about "saving the world". In fact, many docs have deliberately left at the top of their clinical games in attempts to have a greater impact on improving peoples lives (e.g. becoming legislators, lecturers, authors, volunteers, etc.). Others just get so burnout by the frustrating, often irrational bureaucratic overhead of 'modern' clinical medicine that they need major time (months,even years) to decompress & recharge before finding new pursuits. There are many ways to have positive impact on the world beyond clinical medicine.

[longranger]

Thanks for the understanding and advice ERhoosier and Meadbh. Sorry to all for my earlier rant of sorts. Your observations and advice hit the nail on the head. Hopefully after Fire and time to recharge I will find pathways to be more at peace, contribute to society or feel at ease doing nothing in particular at all. That why I have been reading every post on this site since I found it and will continue to do so as my FIRE plans progress.